Category Archives: Baseball

How to Use Offspeed Pitches to Hinder Timing: Mound Success

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How to Use Offspeed Pitches to Hinder Timing

change up grip

  • Pitching is a Mental Chess Match of Energy Hitter vs. Pitcher
  • What Change Up is Best
Many pitches can be used to follow a good fastball and can essentially be labeled as change ups. Splitfinger fastballs, palm balls, circle change and forkballs are common offspeed pitches that can deter and offset the balance of a hitter who is predicting a high velocity fastball. The best change up is the one that a hitter isn’t suspecting. Throw change ups following fastballs and never throw a predicatable change up. 
  • Good fastballs, Make Better Change Ups
Whether you start most hitters off with a fastball or curveball, a good change up is one that the hitter doesn’t know is coming. If the majority of your strike pitches are fastballs or curveballs, a change up could be a good alternative to getting a much needed strikeout. Even if you follow a hard slider or curve with a change up, a fastball should always be an option for coming to save the day. The consistent offspeed or movement of pitches is a great recipe for a strikeout with a good high or low fastball. 
 
  • Change Ups: Not for Strikes

changeup grip

Since a pitcher has more than one chance at strikeing out a hitter often times a good strategy is to throw change ups for balls right after a consistent number of fastballs for strikes. Using pitches such as a circle change which can dive down and inside to a hitter at a slower velocity can often cause hitters to strike out more often. 
 
Some of the greatest pitchers have made their careers based on having great change ups. Trevor Hoffman the All Times Save leader made his bread and butter pitch a flutterball which he used when he no longer had a commanding fastball. Johan Santana threw a No Hitter with the New York Mets and was infamous for his famous change up and keeping hitters off balance with his left handed pitching and commanding control of his change up. Nolan Ryan no doubt one of the greatest pitchers in history also used the circle change to compliment his curveball and fastball and there is no doubt that the change up helped him in his quest as the alltime strikeout leader and pitcher of 7 no hitters. 
This blog article and many others has been brought to you by BullpenDomination.com a Houston based baseball instructional company with a goal of providing youth baseball instruction to all age groups.Give us a call so that we can help your youth baseball pitcher throw change ups for strikes, have more control of his pitches, and win more baseball games. At Bullpen Domination Houston we aim to make your the best pitcher he can be in the most simple instruction possible. Teaching pitching to youth pitchers must be kept simple and concise so as to not confuse them as they progress learning the game of baseball. Through various pitching drills and tips they will become more alert as they develop into becoming more confident on the mound. Justin Higgs the instructor at Bullpen Domination has over 15 years pitching experience and has learned from various professional pitchers expert pitching advice as he has advanced his game. Schedule your pitching lesson now and bookmark  BullpenDomination.com to subscribe to the blog and stay in touch with more articles written with the aim to improve your baseball intelligence and success!

Confidence on the Mound: Pitchers Guide to Dominating Hitters

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 jon rauch twins

How to Take Charge of Starting Pitching Jitters

  • Pitchers are the Alpha Ballplayer: Confident, Controlling, Strong
The starting pitcher of a team is essential the man in control and responsible for controlling the pace and evolution of how the defensive game of the inning will turn out. Some pitchers are power pitchers and some are contact hitters. The difference between a power pitcher and finesse pitcher is essentially strategy of execution of pitches. A finesse pitcher is more likely to be a more medium velocity pitcher which whose goal is to get more outs from ground balls or fly outs. A power pitcher is more than likely gonna be a pitcher who has more advantages in his game, this pitcher will be taller and have a higher velocity and will try and blow more fastballs past hitters with a goal of more strikeouts than contact outs. The key to pitching though with either strategy is to get 3 outs as quickly as possible so that the game progresses and your offense can score more runs and win the game. The best strategy is to be a finesse pitcher with control and the ability to blow a fastball or change up by a hitter just at the right time to get a swinging strike or ground ball which will be turned into an out. Be mentally strong, physically able and confident when your on the mound and never give in. 
 
  • Preparation Makes Perfection
The best way to go about a starting pitching situation is with a game plan. This game plan can be something as simple as letting the catcher call pitches and control the game, or by the pitcher calling his own pitches based on how he’s feeling that day. If at all possible a smart pitcher will do his homework on his opponent and find out all he can about who he is facing and their potential weaknesses. If for instance you are set to play a neighboring school, plan ahead to attend one of the other teams games and see what kind of line up they have and if they are likely to wait on more pitches or go for the first pitch in each at bat. Be prepared to adjust to your opponent with a back up plan as well just in case your initial plan at first fails. You never know when your going to have a bad day with your curveball but if your change up happens to be working that day that could become your new out pitch for the day. Whatever happens be confident and give it your best. You have your team behind you as your ultimate supporter. Don’t let yourself down first, and remember that they will pick you up no matter what. 
 
  • Mental Relaxation for Mound Meditation
Most likely as a pitcher you should have a controlled mind set, game plan for success, and action plan for getting effective outs. The more relaxed and loose you are as a pitcher the higher likelihood that you will be relaxed and have a clear mind for challenges throughout the game such as multiple baserunners and different bunt or hit and run situations. Take deep breaths before pitches and remember your defense is there to back you up if the hitter makes contact and that every pitch can set up the next possible pitch for better success. 
 
  • The Fighter Within: Conditioned Body=Prepared Mind
A goal for each pitcher should be to stay in the game as long as possible to execute the goal at hand. In the role of a starting pitcher the goal should be at minimum to pitch 15 outs and go out with your team in the lead, hence, qualifying for a quality start and win. The more prepared a starting pitcher is physically through conditioning the higher the percentage of success he has for lasting longer into a game than just 5 innings. Pitching is a very aggressive fluid movement that takes a toll on many muscle groups over and over each pitch. The best way to condition the body to pitch is through a consistent throwing program along with a combination of a good cardiovascular regimen, stretching routine and strength workouts. When a pitcher is physically conditioned and best prepared for the mound he is likely to be a more confident, prepared and relaxed pitcher. The fun of the game is success and being in control of as many situations as possible. Prepare your body and mind to work with you in completing your mound domination as a starting pitcher. 

Baseball: How to Finally Win. Every Athletes Guide to Winning

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kirk gibson

How to Finally WIN!!!

  • Winning is just that. Scoring one more run than the other team. It shouldn’t be that difficult.
  • Create positive habits where success is more likely
  • Practice doing what winners do
  • Keep a positive mindset to always get better
  • Never settle after a win
  • Set individual game goals
More so winning isn’t everything, but it is something. Winning athletic competitions is in our spirit as humans. The strive to succeed is ingrained in all of us, so I felt a guide to winning could be a good start for someone that hasn’t achieved success lately. I like to look at winning as a reward for all the practice and preparation done with the goal of becoming a better baseball player. The above strategies are key assets to making winning more of a likelihood than a challenge. Write these down on a note pad and put them in your baseball bag and remind yourself often that winning is just a result of preparation, practice and hard work. Only those who do the work to win and practice the right way will be the most successful at their position and most valuable player to their team. If you aren’t a winner as a team, you can almost certainly know that you tried your best and have succeeded personally even if as a team it was a losing effort. One last reminder is that as you progress to different teams, some may win and some may lose but to win more often you as an athlete must improve and meet and exceed personal goals. By excelling in personal accomplishments you’ll be attracting yourself to winners and other team’s will look to recruit you to join them and their winning team.
 joe torre
“When we lost I couldn’t sleep at night.  When we win I can’t sleep at night.  But when you win, you wake up feeling better”    -Joe Torre  (Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Yankees Manager 1977 – 1984, 1990 to Present)

Keep it Simple Stupid: How to Hit and Pitch without Overthinking

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texas longhorns“The Baseball Brain-Mental Side of the Game”

“Baseball is 50% from the neck up”   - Ted Williams

How to Hit and Pitch without Overthinking

  • Remember Baseball is a Game and not a Life or Death Situation: Have Fun
  • Relax, Focus, and Keep the game Simple: Don’t do too much
Essentially pitching and hitting can be explained as a process that can be executed in a series of steps. 
 
Hitting can be explained as simple as Load, Stride, Swing or Load, Dance step, Squash the bug, or even Ready, Set, Swing…
and 
 
Pitching can be explained as Come Set, Lift leg, stride towards home and throw… just as long as it crosses home plate it can be called a pitch and or a strike. 
 
There are many other explanations for how to over analyze both pitching and hitting but most simply put..if you achieve the goal of either hitting the ball or pitching a pitch then your already half way to your goal. Relax step back from over thinking and remember that baseball is a kid’s game and meant to be played for enjoyment. At most the only detrimental thing that can happen upon failure is a little time passes and you get another chance at SWEET! GREAT! Redemption! The coolest thing about pitching and hitting is you get up to 3, 4 or 5 opportunities a game to succeed and even if not successful then you still can come out at a .500 average with success in the next game. Competition and challenging yourself shouldn’t be anything more than setting goals to better yourself and improve from where you were the day before. If you over analyze too much your thoughts can often become dense and get you down. Try to do one thing at a time and keep it simple when your opportunities to come up at bat or pitch and remember that as long as your trying your best, your doing what you can. And even if for some reason your not at your best you have teammates there to pick you up, play defense for you, or drive you in if you happen to get a walk. 

Pitching Tunnels REVIEWS!!! It’s GREAT! INCREASE PITCH FOCUS NOW !!!

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pitching tunnels

 Exclusive Houston Baseball Pro followers receive 100.00 with the coupon code “Pitch USA” … you can’t beat that deal anywhere!

pitching tunnels

DO YOU HAVE TUNNEL VISION?

PITCHING TUNNELS  are a great way to improve pitching focus, velocity and control!

This is a great pitching tool that should be an asset to any little league facility… the pitching tunnel creates a safe environment so no longer will you need a catcher to throw your bullpens! The Pitching Tunnel does all the work!!!

The Pitching Tunnel effectively enables its users to hone their pitching skills and advance their sports careers successfully. All players strive to play in the Big Leagues and a Pitching Tunnel can make the path to the Big Leagues a little easier. Coaches and catchers benefit as they can sit back and enjoy watching their pitching staffs throwing full speed and getting their work done faster and more efficiently than ever before. Coaches save time, catchers save their knees and teeth, pitchers lock in and gain command of all their pitches. Wins increase and the organization becomes a contender almost overnight. Good pitching beats good hitting and all pitchers need more accuracy. The Pitching Tunnel will improve every pitcher on the planet regardless of age, gender or skill level and is fast becoming a standard piece of equipment on ball fields and sporting facilities worldwide. Would you like to improve your pitching?

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pitching tunnels 2

pitching tunnels

 

 

Disclaimer: Pitching Tunnels is a tool to increase focus while pitching. No promises are guaranteed by using this product. User use at own risk. Individual results may vary.

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Insignia Glove Company Review : Attention Fielders, Get Yours Now. RT

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Insignia Glove makes some of the best gloves around these days. High quality leather and as durable as it gets. I have owned Rawlings Heart of Hide Gloves and TPX Louisville Slugger TPX Pro model glove and even an Wilson A2000, but for the quality in leather and durability Insignia is making its way as a credible glove company in the cluttered marketplace. They use the finest steer hide leather so that your glove will last far longer than those other glove companies. Along with the thick durable lacing, they offer color options to customize the glove to your team colors. Here is some pictures of gloves they currently have to offer. Share this post with your friends if you happen to own one! Great gloves!!!

Insignia Defiant

Insignia Defiant

Insignia Gaurdian

Insignia Gaurdian

Insignia Awe

Insignia Awe

Insignia Caliente

Insignia Caliente

Insignia Chisholm

Insignia Chisholm

Insignia Dyersville

Insignia Dyersville

Insignia Gaurdian

Insignia Gaurdian

Insignia Onyx

Insignia Onyx

Insignia Range

Insignia Range

Insignia Valor

Insignia Valor

Insignia Primal

Insignia Primal

  • Insignia brand
  • enhanced  with a comfort perforated palm liner
  • made in america ( one of the best gloves out there)
  • For the serious, mainstream, baseball player
  • Insignia Athletics is an American made premium high performance, high style glove company
  • Insignia Athletics is proud to make our products in the United States. The Insignia factory is a 110,000 square foot building in Worcester, Massachusetts. Every aspect of the glove production and assembly takes place at the Insignia factory.

    Insignia Athletics belief in domestic manufacturing reaches beyond our production floor. The materials used to produce Insignia products are sourced from American companies who produce the materials in the United States

    Glove Components:

    ►Steer-hide & Buffalo-hide: Shell and Palm liners – Wisconsin
    ►Cowhide Binding, piping and finger stalls – Wisconsin
    ►Laces – Texas and Pennsylvania
    ►Felts – Illinois
    ►Labels – Maine
    ►Palm Paste – Pennsylvania
    ►Stamping dies – Massachusetts

Youth Little Leagues based in Houston Texas Directory

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little league pitcher

 

Houston and surrounding area youth baseball leagues. See each leagues website to inquire about camps, tryouts, game schedule, rain out phone number, field work day, umpire schedules, league pricing, tournament sign up info, uniform, youth baseball picture days, etc. Thanks for checking by.

Bear Creek Little League

www.bearcreekll.com

3524 War Memorial Dr
Houston

 Katy American Little League

www.katyamerican.org

West Oaks Little League

www.eteamz.com/westoaksll/

17245 Westheimer Pkwy
Houston
(281) 497-7335

Post Oak Little League

www.postoakll.com

Westbury Little League

www.westburyll.org

Spring Branch American Little League

1200 Lumpkin Rd  Houston, TX 77043
(713) 465-5880

www.sball.org

Memorial Ashford Little League

http://www.mallball.org/

Bayland Park Little League

6400 Bissonnet St
Houston
(713) 570-6171

 

West University Little League

3700 University Blvd
Houston
(713) 667-1400

Bellaire Little League

www.bellairell.org/

5124 Jessamine St  Bellaire, TX 77401
(713) 664-0184

Southeast Little League Baseball

Houston, TX 77233
(832) 388-6427

Marucci Baseball Houston Facility (Formerly Baseball USA)

maruccihoustonbaseball.com

Justin Higgs: Houston Baseball Hitting Instructor Info

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power swing

The best coach available in your area is the one that can provide the highest peak performance instruction to your athlete in the least amount of steps. Just like as if you were taking a road strip you would want to take the shortest path possible, so should choosing your hitting instructor. I teach a hitting philosophy that has been proven for over 30 years and was taught to my mentor by the great Reggie Sanders of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The A, B, C approach to hitting allows for the hitter to have the highest chance at contact through the strike zone in the quickest amount of steps. Since bat speed is what determines how far the ball travels it is essential that the hitter is mentally and physically prepared before he even steps into the batter’s box. That’s where an informed instructor like Justin Higgs comes in… he provides instruction through drills such as front toss, tee work, live batting practice, one arm swing drills, and even dry swings to demonstrate the correct swing. Muscle memory and hand eye coordination are key to hitting a round baseball with a round bat, therefore its is important to perform the right repetitions to be prepared each at bat. In addition to the practice drills, every rep that takes place builds muscle and overall self confidence which is key when stepping into the batter’s box. Contact and getting base hits is just as essential to a players repertoire as having solid defense in the field, but one thing that sticks out is a baseball player that can hit for power and drive in runs when it really counts. I am available to schedule your youth, teen, or adult hitting lesson and take you to the next level of your game. Whether you are a linear or rotational hitter I ensure you that I will help you improve your game in no time at all.

Houston Baseball Pro

 

 

How to “Do” Baseball in Simple Steps

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astros tryout

  • Sign up for a Little League, Sports Association, or School Sports Team
  • Find out when Tryouts for Leagues that are in your area are to be scheduled
  • Post on social networks and send text messages to friends that you are interested in baseball
  • Get with a friend who is already playing and ask them to show you how to play baseball
  • Watch Baseball to Get an Idea of the Rules and Format of the Game
  • Hire a Baseball Coach /Personal Trainer to teach you the Proper Mechanics of Throwing/Hitting
  • Pick a position You would like to Play Defensively
  • Practice, Practice, Practice so when you eventually play in a game you can be prepared
  • Baseball is a Sport, so when “Doing” Baseball Have Fun and Keep it Simple

Baseball isn’t a complex game. Essentially baseball can be seen as a form of tag with the bases as safe zones. Ironically when your on a base when you are tagged by a player with a ball, the umpire is most likely to call you “SAFE”. So essentially baseball is a fun safe game than can be played at all ages and over time and progression improve drastically at different levels. The first step is to get involved in a league and find information on sign ups or tryouts. After that usually the league sends out information and practices and games are usually laid out. From here you can decide to seek professional help in the former of a personal trainer, otherwise known as a personal baseball instructor that offers private lessons. This coach will provide more emphasis on your individual game getting started as opposed to becoming lost in the team game. The point of team practices is execution on the field during game day, however when you take the position of pitcher or are hitting, essentially your in control of the game and working individually to help out the team. Overall remember baseball is fun and should be enjoyed. The more you practice, the more you will become perfect.

 

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